Pentecost Week Twenty-Three - Day One – Our Living Hope

The first thing we say today on the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps is OOhRah!

Got that out of my system.

We have a guest speaker on Sunday - Dr. James Zipperer is going to speak on Hope from Hebrews 1.

I am going to do my best to prepare the soil for him in this blog each day.

Here is what happens in our short diversion from Lukes' Gospel -  We shift from Jesus’ words about the coming kingdom to  — one of the most profound declarations in all of Scripture about who Jesus really is. How cool is that!

If last week was about recognizing that the Kingdom is already among us, this week is about knowing  that is only possible because Christ Himself is the very Word of God — the full revelation of divine hope.

I will go back to the normal routine I skipped last week due to length.  We’ll spend time in Hebrews 1, pairing each section with its Old Testament roots — the echoes of God’s promises that all find their fulfillment in Jesus.

Ready?  

Day One – God Has Spoken

New Testament: Hebrews 1:1–3
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 18:15–19

For four hundred silent years, no prophet thundered, “Thus says the Lord.”

Generations came and went repeating the stories of Abraham and Moses without hearing a fresh word. The people still gathered in synagogues, still recited the psalms — but heaven seemed hushed.

Then one night, outside Bethlehem, that silence shattered.

Not with a new law, but with Love made visible.

Historical Context
Deuteronomy 18 records Moses promising the arrival of a prophet.

Israel interpreted that as a future messenger who would embody the presence of God without destroying them by His glory.
 
Across centuries, rabbis taught that this “greater Moses” would come with final revelation — no mediator needed, no veil required.

The first audience of Hebrews were second‑generation believers from Jewish homes. Some were intimidated, others nostalgic for the old rhythm of temple worship.

To them, the writer declares: the last Word isn’t coming; He’s come. Every vision and law and promise converges here — in Jesus’ radiant humanity and divine majesty.

This is why Hebrews uses the phrase “once for all.” The Greek tense describes a completed event whose effects endure forever. God doesn’t need to amend or update the gospel. Nothing new can improve perfection. (We have been living in Thy Kingdom come for weeks!)

Modern Reflection
Most of us live addicted to noise. Podcasts, playlists, scrolling headlines — a thousand “voices” that pretend to interpret reality. - Tell me I am not right!

When life grows hard, we beg God to say something new when He has already said something final: “I love you… Look at My Son.”

We mistake silence for absence, but often it’s invitation. The Father waits for us to lean in and remember what He has already revealed (What I have been blogging for months?)
You don’t need another sign; you need to notice the one He gave.

When Scripture feels dry, read the Gospels until Christ’s cadence returns to your imagination.

When prayer feels one‑way, picture His pierced hands raised even now, interceding.

When hope slips, recall that the same voice that spoke worlds into being also whispers your name.  That's the Holy Spirit saying - remember me?

Most of us believe God can speak; we doubt whether He is.

Many mistake quiet for absence, unanswered prayer for indifference.

But maybe the problem isn’t that heaven is mute — maybe we’ve tuned our ears to lesser frequencies.  We scroll, we stream, we hurry.

We let every notification narrate our souls and still wonder why the Divine feels distant.

The truth is, God rarely shouts over the volume we choose.  Read that again!

His whisper waits for the margin we never make.

Reflection 
Faith that listens must first unlearn distraction. The prophets heard because they went where noise died — wildernesses, hillsides, upper rooms.

You and I may not have deserts, but we have commutes, showers, dawn light on kitchen tables — small sanctuaries where the Word still wants to speak.

So before you ask for new direction, sit with what He’s already said.
Read a Gospel slowly enough to hear His tone.

Let silence interrogate your urgency.

Turn down everything else until the familiar voice of Jesus breaks the static again.
Maybe revelation isn’t waiting on God to talk more, but on us to listen better.

Prayer
Jesus,
You are the living Word — truth in flesh and mercy in motion.
Forgive me for chasing fresh revelations while neglecting the one You already gave.
Quiet the noise within me until Your voice is all I hear.
Let Scripture come alive as conversation, not obligation.
And when silence settles, teach me to rest — knowing that You still speak.
Amen.